One of the great conflicts that we face with home modifications is the inherent adversarial relationship between contractors and insurers. There is a common belief among insurers that contractors are dishonest and that they will lie, exaggerate and cheat

in order to make a few extra bucks. At the same time, contractors believe that insurers are really looking for free service and are simply out to beat them down and force them to reduce their prices to the point of making it difficult to make a profit. There are elements of truth in both cases. The reality is that insurers have been burned by dishonest contractors and naturally feel the need to squeeze the dishonesty out of the contractors estimate to assure a fair price. And unfortunately, contractors have been beaten up over the years and as a result, some feel they need to pad the prices to make a profit. In order to break this cycle, all parties involved need to come to the understanding that the beneficiary of all the services, the insured, can quickly become the victim if we don’t work together.

There is a way to turn adversaries to allies...

One way the insurer can work to improve this relationship is by implementing a contractor wellness program.